Foreign diplomats say at a views exchange meeting
Foreign diplomats on Wednesday said that Bangladesh must ensure international standards in the readymade garment sector to retain GSP facility in different markets across the globe.
The global community and buyers are monitoring the country’s progress towards full compliance in the RMG sector as the issue is related with the generalised system of preferences, they said.
They made the remarks at a views exchange meeting with the garment factory owners on compliance issue at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association auditorium in the city.
Senior government officials were also present in the programme.
‘Bangladesh has to make significant progress on their commitments on safety and security which came after the Tazreen Fashons fire and Rana Plaza collapse to retain GSP in the European market,’ said Gerben de Jong, ambassador of Netherlands to Bangladesh.
He said, ‘The month of November is very important for the RMG sector of Bangladesh as two vital issues — one is a common standard for RMG factory inspection and another is new wage — are being settled in this month.’
‘We can be optimistic that the sector will get a common standard and workers will get their living wage in this month and Bangladesh will make a quick progress over the compliance issue,’ the envoy said.
Sarah Cooke, the country representative of British High Commission, said that they wanted to see full implementation of the commitments made by Bangladesh after the tragic incidents in the garment sector of the country.
UK people and consumers believe that Bangladesh has made a good progress on their commitments but they want to see full compliance, she said.
Urging RMG owners to comply with the labour law, labour secretary Mikail Shipar said that the labour law amendment was a significant progress towards the revival of the GSP facility for the RMG products in the US market.
To run global business apparel exporters must have to ensure global standards, he said.
Mikail said, ‘The global community and buyers are observing the initiatives taken by Bangladesh over the compliance issue and so I will request the factory owners to follow the labour law properly.’
Commerce secretary Mahbub Ahmed said that the garment sector was passing through a tough time as the sector was hit by three blows – Tazreen Fashions fire, Rana Plaza collapse and GSP suspension in the US market – at a time.
‘We are working on Bangladesh Action Plan announced by the US for review of the GSP facility and Bangladesh has agreed in principle to fulfil all requirements set in the action plan,’ he said.
BGMEA president Atiqul Islam alleged that the buyers want high quality products at cheap prices and demand decent working condition which is completely a double standard.
‘We want hazard-free compliant factory and to do so all stakeholders including buyers and brands have to bear the responsibility,’ he said.
At the programme, BGMEA director Vidiya Amrit Khan said the country’s economy made remarkable progress in the last three decades, riding on the RMG sector but the government was not giving the garment makers policy support.
Tobais (Toby) Gulcksman, deputy chief of political and economic section of embassy of the United States, also spoke on the occasion.
-With New Age input
